Saint, Sinner, Shoosh: Phil Gould v Peter FitzSimons feud rears its ugly head, cashed-up NRL’s $160m All Black blitz

The NRL is newly cashed-up and ready to launch an all-out assault on the New Zealand All Blacks, writes PHIL ROTHFIELD.

Phil Gould and Peter FitzSimons have differing opinions on concussion.

There is high drama and a major falling out among our rivals at the sometimes-independent Nine newspapers between their two most high-profile sporting columnists.

Our old mate Phil Gould has blocked former rah-rah and prolific author Peter Fitz­Simons on Twitter over their differing views on the NRL’s concussion protocols.

Gus is a fierce opponent of the NRL’s high-tackle crackdown, recently declaring: “Doctors and lawyers will end the game if the NRL keeps bowing down to them,” in several attacks on ARLC chairman Peter V’landys. “All these people screaming HIAs … I find it ridiculous.”

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FitzSimons is the complete opposite, a man who has campaigned hard for contact sports administrators to take concussion seriously.

So we texted FitzSimons to get his thoughts on Gus blocking him and he came back with the most brilliant reply.

Phil Gould and Peter FitzSimons have differing opinions on concussion.

“I am shocked and hurt, devastated I tell you!” he wrote. “Was it something I said, something I wrote??

“He does, however, complete my Royal Flush of Blockers: Israel Folau, Shane Warne, Alan Jones and now Phil Gould.

“At least Greg Norman hasn’t stopped me from seeing his manly shots. That would really hurt!”

Gus has never been one to cope well with criticism or people with opposite views to his.

Your columnist is among many hundreds he has blocked on social media.

FitzSimons’ crime was to write the following: “Phil Gould, it is all very well to say that V’landys and ‘the people who are making these decisions don’t understand the game,’ but the truth of it is that it is people like you, who oppose the changes being made, who are the ones who don’t understand.

“Get this into you: the entire existence of the great game of rugby league is under threat.”

All the latest NRL chatter and more in Australia’s hottest sport gossip column.

SAINT

There are few people in rugby league capable of lifting the Brisbane Broncos back to being a premiership powerhouse. Ben Ikin is one of them. A decent person, intelligent, well connected and a man with indisputable integrity. Just look out the Sydney Roosters. Ikin is very close to Sam Walker and his family.

Ben Ikin is the right man for the Broncos job. Picture: Jerad Williams

SINNER

Phil “Gus” Gould on the selection of teenage superstar Reece Walsh in the Maroons team: “I think it’s a disgraceful decision by the Queensland selectors.” This is the same Phil Gould who didn’t complain when an 18-year-old Brad Fittler debuted for NSW in 1990.

SINNER II

No Thursday night league or the Super Saturday smorgasbord of footy on Fox League. Why give the AFL clear air and a massive free-kick. Thankfully State of Origin will go back to Wednesday nights for all three games next year.

SHOOSH

Newcastle has emerged a shock possibility of hosting State of Origin III if Stadium Australia is ruled out because of Sydney’s Covid crisis. The NRL will analyse the NSW Health data this week before making a decision. The game is on July 14. Newcastle is a rugby league heartland every bit as strong at Townsville. McDonald Jones Stadium can hold a crowd of 33,000. Other host contenders are Canberra or even Melbourne.

SHOOSH

Which Sydney-based NRL club is about to sign a multimillion-dollar major sponsorship with a huge international sports betting agency?

SPOTTED

NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo on his first political lobbying exercise in Canberra on Wednesday with senior ministers to discuss government funding for key NRL projects.

SPOTTED

A couple of handy old players and Balmain Tigers teammates Neil “Bing” Pringle and Ron Ryan at Cudgen watching a NSW Blues training session on Thursday.

SPOTTED

The power of women in sport … Six-year-old Juliette Saville had a school ‘dress as your favourite sports star’ day in Melbourne. All the boys turned as AFL players. Juliette came as champion female jockey Jamie Kah, who has built a huge following in Australian racing.

SPOTTED

Boom teenager and HSC student Joseph Suaalii doing an extra day at school last week. Roosters coach Trent Robinson moved his team’s training out of the eastern suburbs, a Covid hot spot, to the oval at the King’s School in Parramatta, where Suaalii is a boarder. The Roosters trained the following day at the NSW Blues headquarters in Homebush.

TV DEAL FUELS NRL’s $160M ALL BLACKS BLITZ

The NRL has a new $160 million war chest to launch an all-out assault on the New Zealand All Blacks as a result of a monster new television deal.

NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo has landed a 70 per cent TV rights increase across the ditch as a result of a bidding war between the incumbent network Sky TV and telco/streaming company Spark.

The five-year broadcast deal – which now includes games on free-to-air – has gone from $94 million to more than $160 million over five years.

It has the added benefit of contra advertising that the NRL plans to use on a pathways and participation blitz in a country that has been dominated by rugby union and the All Blacks forever.

“If rugby union fans start watching our game of rugby league I’m not sure they’ll go back to union,” Abdo said.

NRL boss Andrew Abdo. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“This is an exceptional result for our game. We will invest aggressively in New Zealand pathways and go head to head with rugby union.

“Part of it is contra which gives us the ability to use all of Sky channels to promote the game, especially in pathways and participation.

“Plus for the first time we can get our major events like the Anzac Day game, an Origin match and a finals game on free-to-air in New Zealand, not just Pay TV. It’s massive for us.”

The NRL also has rugby league guru Phil Gould working in a development role in New Zealand for the Warriors to try to lure players to NRL before they go to rugby union.

HUNT’S WIFE RUNNING FOR CHARITY

Ben Hunt’s wife Bridget must be even fitter than the QLD Maroons bench utility. Bridget is running in the Gold Coast Marathon on July 3 to raise money for the Luna Capri Foundation.

Luna was just three when she was struck by a car and died on the Gold Coast last December.

Her parents Jessica Feeny and Timi Matenga have created the Luna Capri Foundation in her honour.

The foundation aims to create a program that will be rolled out throughout day care centres and early primary school education facilities with the aim of building confident and resilient children from an early age.

You can support Bridget’s fundraising on the GoFundMe website.

NO DAMAGE FROM ALI’S F-BOMB

Queensland captain Ali Brigginshaw dropped the dreaded F-bomb on national television after the women’s State of Origin on Friday night.

“Women’s footy was f…ing awesome tonight,” was heard by nearly 700,000 viewers.

NRL boss Andrew Abdo said: “It was not ideal but in the heat of the moment people make mistakes. It’s important that all our players set an example as they are role models.”

TV ratings for the women’s Origin on Friday night were 618,067, up 12 per cent on last year.

SMITH LET CORDNER GET AWAY

Poor old coach Brian Smith is now getting the blame for the fact Boyd Cordner escaped from the Newcastle Knights system to sign with the Sydney Roosters, from where he became a champion and a NSW Blues and Kangaroos captain.

As other clubs started to notice Cordner’s ability back in 2008 Smith and his recruitment team refused to offer the Taree rookie more than $5000 a season.

That’s when sharp-eyed Roosters recruitment boss Peter O’Sullivan stepped in and took him to the Sydney Roosters.

Smith never had a great record of identifying young talent. He also famously let Paul Gallen out of the Parramatta Eels junior to join the Sharks, where he became a Blues and premiership-winning captain.

AFL BOOST FROM NRL’S NO-SHOW

The AFL cashed in on rugby league’s TV absence with their second-biggest Thursday night ratings for the entire season.

Geelong versus the Brisbane Lions did a combined 907k, the biggest Thursday night figures since the opening round Richmond v Carlton blockbuster. This is despite the Lions winning easily in a blowout scoreline.

The AFL also have all Saturday and Sunday afternoon to themselves this weekend.

NSW BLUES JERSEYS ALMOST STRANDED

The NSW Blues gear steward couldn’t make it to Brisbane in time to beat the border closure.

This meant all the NSW match jerseys were left stranded in Sydney.

Officials convinced Qantas to deliver the jerseys in two bags which were even strapped into a couple of empty seats. Blues marketing boss Jodie Cross collected them at Brisbane airport on Saturday morning to take to the team hotel.